Plating apparatus.



No. 787,701. v PATENTED AP'R. 1s, 1905.

L. SGHULTE. PLATING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 17,1904.

2 SHEETSSHEET -1.

L. SGHULTE. PLATING APPARATUS.

APPLIOATION FILED SEPT. 17,1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Patented April 18, 1905.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS SCHULTE, on NEW YORK, N. Y.

PLATING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 787,701, dated April 18, 1905. Application filed September 17, 1904. Serial No. 224,836.

To all whom, it Huey concern.-

Be it known that I, LOUIS ScHULTE, a citi-' zen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, borough of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Plating Apparatus, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The invention relates to electrochemistry; and its object is to provide a new and improved plating apparatus for plating all kinds of articles, especially, however, sheet metal, bandiron, wire, and the like, arranged to allow the use of a high current to plate the article in a comparatively short time, to insure uniform plating of the entire surface of the article, and to give a bright appearance to the deposit.

The invention consists of novel features and parts and combinations of the same, as will be more fully described hereinafter and then pointed out in the claims.

A practical embodiment of the invention is represented in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional side elevation of the improvement. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same, part of one of the anodeplates being broken out. Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional side elevation of part of the improvement. Fig. 4 is a transverse section of the same on the line 4 4 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional plan view of part of the cathode-carrier. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a tray for holding a quantity of small articles to be plated. Fig. 7 is an end elevation of a springclamp for clamping sheet metal, wire, or like articles to the movable member of the cathode; and Fig. 8 is a plan view of the same.

In the tank A, filled with the electrolyte B, is arranged an anode formed of the spaced anodeplates C C, between which passes the movable cathode-carrier -D in electrical contact with contact members D, removably secured by screws D to the tank'A at or near the ends thereof, as plainly indicated in the drawings. The anode-plates G C are connected with the positive pole of a source of electrical energy such as a battery, dynamo, or thelike-and the contact members D for the cathode-carrier are connected with the negative pole of the said source of electrical energy. The movable cathode-carrier D is in the form of an endless skeleton frame for supporting the articles and number of insulated endless cables D connected with each other by insulated transverse bars or rods D spaced suitable distances apart and each provided with contactpoints D having their terminals exposed through the insulating material, as plainly indicated in Figs. 2 and 3. Each contact member D for the cathode-carrier D consists of a frame'D, fastened in position on the sides of the tank by the screws D previously mentioned, (see Fig. 4,) and the said frame D is provided with an inclined support D carrying springs D (see Fig. 3,) pressing the under side of contact-plates D, so as to hold the latter in firm contact at their upper faces with the contact-points D previously mentioned, and arranged on the cross-bars D of the skeleton frame.

The insulated cables D pass around rollers E and E, journaled in the sides of the tank A at or near the ends thereof, and on the shaft E of the roller E is secured a pulley E connected by a belt E With other machinery for rotating the shaft E and the roller E to cause the skeleton frame forming the movable cathode-carrier D to travel through the electrolyte and between the anode-plates G and G.

The rollers E and E are preferably located near the top of the tank A, and in order to bring the runs of the endless skeleton frame in proper relation to the anode-plates C and C supplementary or auxiliary rollers are employed, journaled in the sides of the tank A and over which passes the upper run of the endless skeleton'frame and under which passes the lower run of the said frame, the said runs being held in engagement with the rollers F F byv grooved idlers or pulleys F, journaled in the sides of the tank A, as plainly indicated in Figs. 1 and 2. IdlersF similar to the idlers F, engage the outermost insulated cables D at a point midway between the rollers F F to properly support the runs between the rollers F F.

The sheet metal, band-iron, wire, or like article is placed on the upper run of the skeleton frame and, if desired, may be fastened thereby by suitable clamping devices, such as indicated at G in Figs. 7 and 8, and when the machine is in operation then the upper run of the said skeleton frame carries the,

said article along through the electrolyte and between the anode-plates O and O, the article being fastened to the upper run of the skeleton frame in such a manner that it contacts with the points D. The latter move successively in contact with the contact-plates D", which are sufiiciently long to have at least one of the points D in engagement at a time to insure the passage of an uninterrupted current through the electrolyte.

The speed of the endless traveling skeleton frame carrying the articles is regulated to cause a complete plating of the articles on the entire outer surface during the passage of the article through the electrolyte in the tank A.

If it is desired to plate small articles, then the same are placed in a metallic perforate tray or basket H, set on the contact-points D of the upper run of the skeleton frame or fastened thereto, so that the articles are passed through the electrolyte B and between the anode-plates O and C, the same as the articles above described, and directly fastened to the upper run of the skeleton frame. It is understood that in practice the large articles or the basket containing the small articles are placed in position on the upper run of the skeleton frame at the roller E and taken off the skeleton frame at the roller E.

By moving the articles to be plated through the electrolyte the hydrogen is continually removed from the surface of the articles to insure the formation of a bright plating deposit on the articles. It will also be seen that by the arrangement described the electrolyte is kept in motion by the moving cathode to allow of using a very high current, thus finishing the plating in a comparatively short time.

It is understood that although I have shown and described the anode as formed of two anode-plates C C and the cathode-carrier D as formed of a movable skeleton frame in contact at both ends with fixed contact members D D this particular construction may be varied without deviating from my invention. The fixed contact members D D serve to connect the cathode-carrier D with the source of electrical energy; but other suitable means may be employed for the same purpose.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. A plating apparatus comprising a tank for containing the electrolyte, spaced anodeplates arranged horizontally in the said tank, an insulated endless cathode-carrier having exposed contact-points, and a fixed contact member connected with the source of the electrical energy and with the contact-points of the said cathode-carrier, the latter traveling through the electrolyte between the said an ode-plates and carrying on its contact-points the article to be plated.

2. A plating apparatus provided with atraveling endless cathode-carrier for carrying the article to be plated through the electrolyte,

the said cathode-carrier consisting of connect- 7 ed insulated endless cables having exposed contact-points for supporting the article to be plated.

3. A plating apparatus provided with a movable cathode-carrier, a fixed contact member in contact with the movable cathode-carrier, the said movable cathode-carrier consisting of an endless insulated skeleton frame having exposed contact-points for engagement with the fixed contact member.

4. A plating apparatus provided with amovable cathode-carrier, a fixed contact member in contact with the movable cathode-carrier, the said movable cathode-carrier consisting of an endless insulated skeleton frame having exposed contact-points for engagement with the fixed contact member, the latter being springsupported.

5. A plating apparatus provided with a movable cathode-carrier, a fixed contact member in contact with the said cathode-carrier, the latter consisting of an endless insulated skeleton frame having exposed contact-points for engagement with the fixed member, and spaced rollers for the skeleton frame to travel on.

6. A plating apparatus provided with a movable cathode-carrier, a fixed contact member in contact with the said cathode-carrier, the latter consisting of an endless insulated skeleton frame having exposed contact-points for engagement with the fixed contact member,

in contact with the said cathode-carrier, the

latter consisting of an endless insulated skeleton frame having exposed cbntact-points for engagement with the fixed contact member, spaced rollers for the skeleton frame to travel on, and intermediate rollers and idlers for the same, between which intermediate rollers and idlers the said skeleton frame passes.

8. A plating apparatus provided with a movable cathode-carrier for supporting the article to be plated and carrying it through the electrolyte, the said cathode-carrier consisting of spaced insulated endless cables, insulated crossbars connecting the cables with each other and exposed contact-points on the said cross-bars.

9. A plating apparatus provided withamovable cathode-carrier, a fixed contact member in contact with the said cathode-carrier, the said fixed member having spring-supported contact-plates and the said movable oathode- In testimony whereofIhave signed my name carrier consisting of spaced insulated endless to this specification in the presence of two sub- 10 calales, insulatgd clifss ilbarsconneizting the scribing witnesses. v sai cab es wit eac ot er, expose contact- 5 points on the cross-bars, for engagement with LOUIS SLHULTE' the said spring-supported contact-plates, and Witnesses: rollers for the passage of the said endless HENRY SCHULZ, cables. CHARLES BUROHARD. 

